1906 Congressional Act

The Congressional Acts of 1906 (34 Stat. 383) and 1908 (35 Stat. 70-76) were appropriation acts that provided money to purchase land for residential and agricultural use for homeless Indians of no specific tribal affiliation.

Under the Acts, the 22,000 year old tribe of the E'lem Modun, (AKA) The East Lake Tribe, in Lake County, California were allotted by United States Congress,  88 acres of land for 134 East Lake Tribal Members still living on their ancient islands and surrounding mainland.

The 88 acres of E’lem land has been surveyed and mapped numerous times by US Government Surveyors since 1855. 

Listed below is each parcel.

Mainland Parcel.                                                       51.1 acres 

Buckeye Island Parcel.                                          1.4 acres

Rattlesnake Island Parcel #1South.            11.7 acres 

Rattlesnake Island. Parcel #2North.          23.9 acres 

Total acres = 88 acres.   
 

Congress paid $6,600 in gold coin to Lake County to pay for the clear title for the 88 acres upon which the Elem (A.K.A East Lake Tribe)  resided.   At the time of the Congressional Allotment , the East Lake Tribe was unaware that Congress had paid to Lake County the money to ensure titles were revised giving full ownership to the Elem's 88 acres upon which they resided.
 

A US Census Report 1880  and The Great Voters Registers of the State of California 1896 recognized the town of East Lake and the census of 1903 recognized the Elem, as the East Lake Tribe,.

All other tribes in the region were named and identified after local townships by US Indian Agents.
 

The township of East Lake was established on the Elem tribal land in 1877 because of convenience of access to the Sulphur Bank Mercury Mines and there was a town located on the Elem land previously called  

United States Congressional Documents state that in 1906 and 1908 the United States Congress Appropriated funds for non-reservation Indians in Northern California to purchase lands that they lived upon in 1904 during a US Census collected by Special Indian Agent, C.E. Kelsey. 

A 1905 US Census Report of non-reservation Indians living in Northern California by C.E. Kelsey. Mr. Kelsey reported directly to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs in Washington, D.C..

Allotments were ordered by Congress for each tribe based on the 1903 Census taken by Kelsey. The Census listed the Elem as the East Lake Tribe and they then were allotted 88 acres of land.  The land on which they lived.

Ref. 1915 Report of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Page 183

The Elem have always been known in their native language as Elem Kom Fo, and/or Elem Modun.

In Elem native language, Elem Kom Fo means Elem of East Lake.
 

In 1877 the town of East Lake, California was  established by the US Congress on the Elem Tribal Property. Congress also established Pomo Road through Elem lands as a US Postal Route.  These acts were authorized personally by the President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt.  President from 1901 to 1909. 

Main Street East Lake was built on Pomo Road, the only public entry into the town of East Lake . The newly formed town had a Hot Springs Spa, Hotel, Post Office, Restaurants and General Stores for the miners working in the Sulphur Bank Mercury Mines. 

National Archives records state about 350 people lived in East Lake in 1877 until 1884 when Sulphur Bank Mercury Mine closed.  The town of East Lake continued to grow at a new nearby location until at least 1896.